I'm going to start strength training this week (just 45mins 2xs a week) and I'd like to know how it will affect my weight loss. I've got about 10-20lbs to go and I'd like to stick to the pace I've been at and I know that when you start strength training your loss can slow down even though you may continue to get smaller. How do I do I do it and still lose 1-2lbs per weeks? I know that I might slow down anyway because I have less to lose now, but I'm anxious to get to at least 148...The last 10-20lbs will be bonus for me.

It depends, what do you really care about? What the scale says or how you look?

I started strength training at my highest weight and I'm glad I did. Basically, when you strength train, your muscle have a tendency to hold more water as they are healing which means you may be losing fat but holding onto water and the scale will move slowly or not at all. Your size will decrease and your body will become more defined.

I think the visible difference increases dramatically with resistance training--I literally cannot go a day without someone at work telling me how good I look, and how much it shows that I've lost weight. Although I think the 26 lbs. loss has helped of course, I think I look much smaller than just the weight loss because of the toning. For me, I've had to try really hard to concentrate on my healthy new body and not the number on the scale. I'm a size smaller at this weight than I was when I was this weight before.

I don't think my pace slowed down too dramatically, maybe some. But losing at 140 isn't the same game as losing at 183. But I still lose on average of about 1lb or more for the week over the course of the month. BUT, my weight loss did change.

I used to weigh every Thursday, and I didn't even get nervous about weigh ins. I had a 1.5-2lb loss every single week, it was practically guaranteed. I started exercising (started with strength training) at 150lbs. I didn't change anything eating-wise. And quit losing. So, I figured I'd need to start cardio and I added cardio pretty quick up to an hour every other day. Still wasn't losing. I stayed at 150lbs for a month.

I finally got serious about calorie counting, before I had just been estimating and trying to stay around 1200. When I started CC-ing, I actually upped it to 1400-1600. I immediately lost 3lbs over two days. I now keep my calories between 1200-1600, higher days are on heavy exercise days. MWF I do 60 min of cardio and 30 min of strength. Tues/Thurs I work at an active job at a barn for 4-6 hours each day. Either Saturday or Sunday I do an hour of cardio, the other day is rest.

So I'm still losing, but my weight loss has changed patterns. Instead of reliably losing 1.5-2lbs every week, I have mini-plateaus and whooshes. Week one, nothing. Week two, I'll drop 2lbs in two or three days. Week three, nothing. Week for, another 2-3lbs or so.

Strength training will cause you to retain some water and glycogen (carbohydrate) in your muscles--this is normal, natural, and necessary. It adds weight, though; after a day of training you could be up a couple pounds on the scale.

You may find that in order to make strength increases and train effectively you need to add calories to your diet. You may also find that at first, strength training makes you very hungry all day long. It's up to you whether or not to eat when that happens. The extra hunger will pass in time as your body adapts to training, generally speaking.

You should probably look into post-workout nutrition for strength training. I use a whole foods approach myself, rather than having a protein shake. Post-workout nutrition is VERY IMPORTANT and not to be neglected, if you want to see increases/improvements in performance and strength and appearance. A lot of women around here seem to take a very casual view of post-workout nutrition, but the fact is that if you are strength training and do not consume protein and carbs after a workout, then you are not taking advantage of the muscle-protective effect of insulin.

I highly recommend The New Rules of Lifting for Women if you are interested in strength training effectively. Although it's not written primarily as a program series that's to be done at a calorie deficit, it can be done thus for fat loss, and it contains recommendations for that.

I can't recommend strength training highly enough, but expect a slow down. I tend to lose big one week per month and stall the rest. BUT, I get comments all the time on how much smaller I look, just from week to the next.

Seriously though, strength training really causes that scale to go wonky on me. It depends on the day as to whether or not I care...today I care. I'm going on week four of a stall though and yesterday was the first day it really started to get to me.

Maybe instead of stepping on a scale you should begin to take your body measurements and go from there.. Since you know already that your weight may not drop as quickly it may no longer be the best way for you to gauge your success.

I can't be sure about my losses and stuff when I was STing, because I wasn't very rigorous then like I am now, but I do know that at 200 pounds, I looked smaller than I do now at 197. That's 100% truth.

My losses WERE slow, which could have to do with my eating habits, but I think it was in part due to the insane amount of muscle I was gaining.

After like 2 or 3 weeks you're going to be looking soooo good! This is a great decision, you won't regret it

I've started some strength training and noticed a HUGE difference so far in my arms- I'm LOVING IT! The weight is slowly coming down still, BUT when I see my arms are shrinking and more toned I get a huge smile on my face. You'll laugh at me but I caught myself staring at my upper arms the other day and was like WOW- I'm SEXY!

And there are people out there who keep losing "just five more pounds" and are still not satisfied and from my experience these people don't weight train so they don't tighten up- which is what they really need- to tighten up- not to lose more weight.

Weight lifting is one of the most important exercises for a woman! - it's GREAT! Good for your muscles, sure! but also good for your bones, metabolism (muscle burns fat) and general body shape. But just keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. The number on the scale might go up a little, but your "inches" (clothes size, etc.) may go down a little.

love it!! This is my goal.. no matter what weight I am able to get down to I want to be able to look at myself and think that I'm sexy.

I, too, flex in the mirror and admire myself. Despite the flab that remains, I love my arms and shoulders, and my quads and calves. I love feeling my glutes under the nice padding of booty I still have. I make my husband feel my biceps and triceps and calves, too, and he has to make admiring comments. I am hot, in a Xena / Amazon kind of way.

You know I guess you are right, the scale doesn't really matter...if I still weigh 160 but am wearing a size 8 (although I doubt that would happen) I'd be thrilled! My legs are already really toned from running and my arms from holding a 20month old so I can only imagine how great strength training will be for my shape.

mkendrick - congrats on getting into the 130's. I know you changed your goal, but congrats anyway - great job!

strength training is one of the best things you can do for your body. regardless of weather it slows your weight loss or not, you will look and feel so much better.

I think sometimes we focus to much on the scale. I know i do, im addicted to the thing. Weight training really helps slim your whole body though. I have to remind my self all the time, that being at the perfect goal weight is great, and while looking good is important, It is so much better to celebrate what your body is capable of instead of how just how it looks. I think everyone would feel a lot better about themselves if they really paid attention to what they're bodies achieve on a daily basis. That's another reason weight training is so good, it lets you see just how strong you really are, despite our sometimes harsh opinions of ourselves.

I needed to read this thread tonight, so thanks ladies! I think I'm going to go measure myself, but probably not share on 3FC...